Employer Pays the Concierge Fee
Becker pays $54 per employee per month to a primary care provider called Qliance. Employees get unlimited doctor visits, 24-hour e-mail access to the medical staff, and same-day or next-day appointments. There is no insurance involved in their primary care: no expensive premiums, no complicated claims, no mysterious denials.
More from Bruce Japsen on improving access to physicians in the NYT.
Only $54? Many employers could advertise that benefit and substantially alter the cost-benefit analysis of a prospective employee. It also saves thousands by proactively reducing health care costs. A very good example of how treating employees well can boost retention and recruitment while cutting cost. Great find!
I’m pleased to see a market building for concierge medicine. The enhanced consumer base is driving down rates and making concierge medicine a realistic option for millions of people.
Jan Mayrhofer, a 61-year-old bookkeeper: “I have never waited longer than five minutes in the waiting room.”
That’s quite a testimonial! I think many would pay more to see the doctor more quickly and minimize the time spent at the doctor’s office alone.
While this maybe a cheap option for small businesses and individuals, it may not be the case for large companies who would have to pay the monthly primary care provider fees for a large number of employees. Also note that the concierge fee is limited to primary care only, so for those employees who need to see specialists, the cost may still be high
Great way for employers to cut health care costs while providing great benefits for their employees.
This project needs to be expanded to Medicare. The nation is stumbling over itself seeking solutions to the entitlement crisis when many of the answers are already on this blog.
This is just one example of what we would see under a free market for health care.
I can see this leading to better health outcomes.
@Sam T.
I don’t think large companies would have any more trouble paying for the program than their smaller counterparts. Of course, they would have to pay for a greater number of employees, but the program would also replace that same number of expensive standard insurance plans.
Though I can’t see a glaring problem (even the secondary care concern above could be easily addressed), I maintain that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.